178 Complaints Against the Mexican Army and Navy; 83% Remain Unresolved

The Mexican Ministry of National Defense (Sedena) and the Ministry of the Navy (Semar) are facing a total of 178 complaints due to the actions of their personnel during the period they supported public security. According to the official report covering the six-month period submitted to the Permanent Commission of Congress, the vast majority of these complaints are currently under review. The semi-annual report covering the dates between 20 November 2025 and 19 May 2026 scrutinizes the performance and accountability of the armed forces in civilian duties. The high unresolved rate of the complaints is causing serious public debate regarding the military's internal audit mechanisms and civilian oversight. This situation has also brought back to the agenda the criticisms regarding the expanding role of military institutions within the state in Mexico and the lack of transparency.

According to the detailed data of the report, the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena) received 94 different complaint files during this period. While only 14 of these complaints were concluded, the remaining 80 are still pending in the processing and investigation phase. On the part of the Ministry of the Navy (Semar), a total of 84 complaints were recorded, 16 of which were concluded, and 68 of which have not yet been resolved. When the data of both institutions are combined, it is seen that 148 of the 178 complaints, that is, more than 83 percent, remained unanswered as of the date the report was prepared. This ongoing heavy backlog of files raises serious questions about the institutions' capacity to handle complaints and the slowness of the administrative process.

Another notable issue in the report is the role of the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) in the processing of these complaints, which also include allegations of human rights violations and abuse of authority. Another striking detail revealed by the report is that CNDH did not issue any official recommendation decisions against the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena) during the said six-month period. In contrast, it is stated that eight different recommendation decisions were published regarding the Ministry of the Navy (Semar). While four of these recommendations directed at Semar were accepted by the institution, three were rejected, and one was kept in the evaluation phase to clarify its legal processes. CNDH's failure to issue a recommendation against Sedena resulted in human rights defenders criticizing whether the institution acts sufficiently independently against military authorities.

The report in question is a product of the Mexican Armed Forces being increasingly integrated into public security and law enforcement duties in recent years. In fact, the actions of military personnel acting in the field of civilian security in place of or together with the police force are regularly attempted to be subjected to accountability mechanisms. These thousands of complaints, stated to contain allegations of violations, arise as a direct consequence of the military's presence on the streets. So, which routes can citizens resort to when they want to file a complaint against military or naval police personnel? In cases carrying a human rights violation dimension, applications can be made directly to CNDH in person, via phone, email, or online platforms. For possible administrative abuses or duty negligences, official complaint files can be submitted to the Internal Audit Organs of both ministries.

In the background of these processes, the internal disciplinary mechanisms of the institutions operate; for example, in Sedena, complaints received by CNDH can be forwarded to the General Inspectorate and Audit of the Army and Air Force. On the Semar side, there are also special procedures and citizen complaint channels to address potential violations of the personnel's Code of Ethics. However, the main findings of the report reveal that the existing internal and external audit systems cannot resolve the accumulation of complaints quickly and effectively, and that the process operates extremely slowly. The fact that such a high rate as 83 percent remains unresolved causes great disappointment for victims in their search for justice and indicates that more urgent reforms must be implemented to ensure institutional transparency. The continued expansion of the military's sphere of influence in civilian life in Mexico seems poised to make this accountability crisis one of the most important issues on the country's agenda in the upcoming periods.